In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations can’t stand still. They must commit to continuous improvement as a fundamental element of running a successful business for the long term. If they aren’t constantly moving forward, they are falling behind. However, driving that consistent level of evolution isn’t easy to achieve. The ongoing nature of continuous improvement requires a different approach from the strategic planning and delivery approaches that are designed to create value, improve alignment, and enhance efficiency over a single business cycle.
Organizations must embrace continuous improvement. Businesses will face significant challenges without effective and efficient ongoing evolution. If organizations are unable to maintain forward momentum by demonstrating they can operate as an agile, adaptive business, they will find themselves standing still, watching while competitors and the market move on. Employees and departments become complacent as resistance to change increases, which swiftly leads to acceptance of the status quo and the absence of motivation to innovate. In a competitive global marketplace, this can be fatal.
Customers are among the first stakeholders to notice when an organization lacks a commitment to continuous improvement. When a business fails to keep up with the evolving needs of current customers, they quit buying products and services, resulting in falling unit sales, revenue, and profitability. Acquiring new customers becomes more difficult and expensive, while the organization's brand reputation can suffer significantly. A lack of continuous improvement will also lead to an erosion of service and product quality, as well as internal productivity.
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